Punch-laser combination machines may include generic drive devices. For such machines, a machine table which acts as a support for metal sheets to be processed is moved on a C-shaped machine frame by a rack and pinion drive along a lower frame leg of the machine frame. The toothed rack of the rack and pinion drive is provided on the machine table and moves together therewith. The drive pinion which meshes with the rack is supported on the machine frame in a stationary manner. The drive pinion is pre-tensioned in the direction towards the rack and, in the direction of the engagement of the tooth arrangements of the rack and the drive pinion, can carry out compensation movements as needed, for example, owing to production and assembly tolerances and/or owing to thermal expansion on the rack and pinion drive.
The pre-tensioning of the drive pinion is produced by pre-tensioned spring assemblies which act on the drive pinion at the side remote from the rack. In order to prevent the drive pinion from tilting during compensation movements with respect to the rack about a rotation axis which extends parallel to the axis of the rack movement, the drive pinion is forcibly guided by linear guides in the direction of the compensation movements. Owing to undesirable tilting movements of the drive pinion, the mutual engagement of the tooth arrangements of the rack and the drive pinion may be affected. For example, there may be produced an irregular inclination of the tooth arrangement of the drive pinion with respect to the tooth arrangement of the rack, and together with this, an impairment of the force transmission between the drive pinion and the rack, and therefore increased wear on the tooth arrangements which mesh with each other.